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1940. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR: EMPLOYMENT DIVISION. REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOUR.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

REPORT.

To the Hon. the Minister of Labour. Sir, — Department of Labour, Wellington, 30th May, 1940. I have the honour to present herewith for the information of His Excellency the GovernorGeneral the report upon the activities of the Employment Division, covering the year Ist April, 1939, to 31st March, 1940, except where otherwise indicated. This report, which is complementary to that submitted by the Industrial Division of the Department, is prepared in compliance with the Labour Department Act, 1908, as amended by the Labour Department Amendment Act, 1936. I have, &c., A. J. Ridler, Assistant Secretary of Labour.

ADMINISTRATION. The responsibility for tlio administration of the Employment Division rests primarily with the Minister of Labour, and all policy matters which may arise are submitted for his consideration and direction. Direct control of the various activities of the Division—e.g., subsidization of approved work or industries —is maintained by Head Office, which operates through its own district offices in the four main centres and through Registrars and District Agents of the Social Security Department in fortyfour other centres. This position also obtains in regard to the activities of the State Placement Service and Youth Centres, except that at Dunedin the Youth Centre is not under the control of the Department. The following list sets out briefly the operations falling within the present functions of the Employment Division : — (1) Scheme No. 4b : Subsidies on labour-costs for development of farm lands. (2) Scheme No. 4f : Farm-labour-assistance plan for training inexperienced workers. (3) Scheme No. 13 : Subsidization of full-time employment through local bodies and local employing authorities (including City and Borough Councils, County Councils, River and Drainage Boards, and schools and other private bodies not established for profit and whose activities are of a social nature) — (a) Payment of subsidies for full-time work at award rates : (b) Issue of transport orders, &c. : (c) Assistance by way of labour subsidies towards — (i) Eradication of ragwort and other noxious weeds : (ii) Rabbit-extermination : (iii) Local-body water and sewerage schemes : (iv) Streets and footpath improvement: (v) Road-construction improvement: (vi) River-improvement and land-drainage. (4) Scheme No. 16 : Youth employment in building trades — (a) Subsidized training in building and related trades : (b) Issue of tools, equipment, &c. (5) Scheme No. 16a : Training of workers in industry. (6) State Placement Service : Operation of twenty-one special offices to carry out all phases of placement work. (7) Youth Centres : Operation of special offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to deal in conjunction with the Education Department with the question of vocational guidance and employment for boys and girls from school-leaving age. The various schemes, &c., outlined above, are later more fully defined in this report.

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